More Black Belt Stitching Wizard Stuff

Saturday, January 31, 2015

Once again the photos I took at the Madonna concert a few years ago came to mind when trying to find a picture for this week's theme. These cool "disco" cubes came up out of the stage and Madonna and her dancers made good use of them!

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Can you believe we're almost through the first month of 2015? Its gone by so fast!

Since my last stitchy post I've had a couple of small finishes and made progress on a couple of WIPs. First, the finishes.

Red Threads

Rosewood Manor

Stitched on: 32ct Natural Linen

Stitched with NPI silk

After I finished blogging last week it was a little late in the evening to pull out The Accolade. So I pulled out my "purse project" and finished that! How many of you keep something small in your purse? I never go anywhere without some stitching, you just never know. I've noticed the last couple of years, while waiting places I pull out my phone more than my stitching. I'm trying to make more of an effort lately to pull out my stitching instead of my phone when I have free moments. Of course its always a battle between my stitching and my Instagram addiction (you can find me there as tkd_chick). These little motifs from the Red Threads chart by Rosewood Manor are perfect for "purse projects"! I just love the combination of this red silk on natural linen.

Love Never Fails

The Primitive Hare

Stitched on mystery 28ct fabric

Stitched with Glorianna Silks

Remember last week I mentioned I had the urge to work on some seasonal smalls? Well I gave in! I started and finished this adorable freebie by The Primitive Hare.

Then I might of started another freebie from the same website this week as well. This is a small start on Valentine by The Primitive Hare. I polled my Instagram followers to see if I was crazy with my fabric and thread choice but I got so many positive comments and likes I went with it! As I say the instant gratification you get from social media is addictive! Also when you're looking for a quick bit of input its almost instant!

Now, the piece you've been waiting to see... The Accolade. I'm still plugging away on page 10, I'm currently experiencing the stitching version of 50 Shades of Grey, sadly this is no where near as titillating. Its a struggle to stay motivated when you're just stitching many shades of the same colour and no real image is emerging.

Thursday, January 22, 2015

If you were looking last night or today for my WIP Wednesday post, I'm sorry it wasn't there for you. Last night I had an appointment at the sleep clinic at the hospital. If you've ever had one you'll know how fun it isn't to try to sleep with wires and stuff all over your head, face, and even your legs! Then the nerve of them to wake you up and kick you out at 5:30am!!

As you can see, it wasn't a pretty sight last night! Once all of that stuff was off in the morning, it was a worse sight as I had this gunk all over my head that was like vaseline but thicker to attach the wires to my head!

The Accolade didn't receive as much attention as it should of this last week. I was away at one of my little B&B Retreats this past weekend! Since stitching over one isn't the most ideal thing to do at a stitchy weekend I left the Accolade at home!

Stitchers Joy

Prarie Moon - Just Cross Stitch Ornament Issue 2010

Stitched on Midas Touch Opalescent Linen from Silkweavers

Stitched with Sulky thread

Saturday morning I finished up this ornament that I shared with you last week. It turned out great I love the combination of the gold fabric and brick red floss.

For the rest of the weekend my Alessandra Adelaide Peacock came out to play. Christin was working on hers as well! Mine is on the left and hers is on the right.

As you can see once I got home I made a little more progress on it, but I was a good girl and once Monday rolled around I packed it away again to work on The Accolade.

Hopefully this weekend The Accolade will get my full attention but for some reason I keep getting tempted to stitch some seasonal smalls!!!! I haven't broken down... yet.

Saturday, January 17, 2015

I'm very fortunate, where I live and my life circumstances have allowed me to live a great life so far. I've also been lucky to experience what the third world is really like, the last five years (this is my 6th) I've taken students to the Dominican Republic on a third world experience. For those in the third world, shelter is so much more basic than what we call shelter/home here in the first world. Though this home is very basic and pieced togehter there was something comforting to me when I saw the cat just inside the door. Which just shows no matter how basic or opulent a shelter is there are things that no matter how rich are poor you are make it a home and shows deep down we're all the same no matter how rich or poor you are.

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Did you miss my WIP Wednesday posts? I know I missed doing them its so nice to be able to share the progress on your projects with other people who are actually interested and excited about your stitching, rather than your significant other who just humor you.

First I'm so excited to share my progress on The Accolade (not a HEAD chart) with you! When you last saw it I was just starting page 9, well this past weekend I finished up that page and I've made headway into page 10 (of 12). The end seems like its in sight but I'm finding on average each page takes 4-6 weeks of focused stitching to complete. Right now I'm estimating end of April to finish this project. I've got two trips coming up, my annual Dominican Republic Experience trip the last week in February. Two weeks after I get back from my "work trip" (yes its work, I work in a high school and I've taken 14-16 students for the last 5 years, this is my 6th) I'll be heading out for March Break to visit Kathy in Arizona! I'm looking forward to leaving these -28c (-35c windchill) temperatures behind!

As has been my stitching tradition for many years, besides emptying my Ort Jar on New Year's day I also start a new project on the stroke of midnight. The New Year's start is a very serious affair, Christin and I have made it a SAL for at least the two of us for many years. Discussion on what our New Year's start will be often starts in August or September for the last couple of years the SAL has included many of our Eastern Ontario stitching friends. This year it was just Christin and I, we both fell in love is Alessandra Adelaide's Peacock design when it was released last year and rather quickly agreed this had a lot of potential as our January 1st start. Unfortunately the design just appeal to the rest of our "crew" so it was just us. Also as per tradition I put my first stitches in while celebrating the New Year with my friend Rebecca and her wonderful family, I love our tradition of a great meal ... made by her husband, good company and of course stitching!

Another project that has come to see the light of day again, is Michael Powell's Mini River Cottage. During my holidays I was invited out Janice's cottage (which turns out to be minutes from my house!) to spend an afternoon stitching with her. She has the most spectacular view of the river, which maybe on a future visit I'll get a chance to take a few pictures. As wonderful as The Accolade is I find its one of those projects that's just best worked on at home. So I needed to find something that would be easier to work on in friendly company and this fit the bill! I always forget how much I enjoy working on a Michael Powell piece.

Finally this past weekend I started a new ornament. After finishing page 9 on The Accolade I felt like I needed a little over one break. This one is called Stitchers Joy by Prairie Moon, from the Just Cross Stitch 2010 Ornament Issue.

Sunday, January 11, 2015

I guess I fell off of the blogisphere after my last post in... November I believe? Not only did I not blog again but I've also not visited any blogs for months! There's no one real reason why I stopped for awhile. Life was busy, I'm trying to get my weight back under control (which can be quite time consuming!). For most of December I was plagued by a headache that never really went away so many things suffered like working out, eating right, stitching, and so much. I think also when I found time I just wanted to be stitching! Though I was off of work for two weeks over the holidays I found we were just so busy! Either we had company or we were company, there were also parties, get togethers and prepping for Christmas too! On top of feeling like shit most of the time with that headache which persisted despite being off of work.

So lets get away from all of that boring and mundane stuff and get onto what this blog is all about, stitching!

I have been working away on The Accolade, but I'll save that for WIP Wednesday (yes I still want to at least do a once a week entry for you folks)!

December ended up being a flurry of stitching and finishing ornaments! My fingers were just flying and the hot glue gun didn't get much of a chance to cool down!

The masterpiece Todd and I collaborated on - our first ever!

My first Christmas party was a gingerbread house building party (it was a riot!) hosted by my good friend Marline and her new husband! I love giving ornaments as hostess gifts instead of chocolate or a bottle of wine.

I decided barely a week before the party that I had to stitch Lizzie Kate's 1st Christmas for their tree! A flurry of stitching and heartache over heart-shaped finishing here's what I produced and not only I but Marline was so happy to put it right onto her tree! This is customized with their last name thus I covered it up when I took this picture.

1st Christmas by Lizzie Kate for Landon, Lucy, and Zach, Carter's did not get photographed

The back of all of my 1st Christmas ornaments

Stitching the ornament for Marline started a crazy avalanche! I decided most of the new babies I knew out there should have one! Actually first it started with my favorite little man Zach who I stitched TW's Birth Announcement for back in the first half of 2014. Then it just snowballed into one for the son of the little girl I used to babysit (I recently reconnected with the family on Facebook), one for the Chaplain's little girl at work , and one for my good friend Tracey's Nephew (which I stupidly forgot to photograph... I never do that!). In all I stitched 1st Christmas 5 times!!!!

Roaming Reindeer

Blue Ribbon Designs

Just Cross Stitch Ornament Issue

Stitched on 40ct tanzanite linen

I had also stitched up this lovely Blue Ribbon designs ornament since my last blog entry and did the finishing on it. I liked this one so much I kept it for my own tree.

I've done a lot of finishing since my last entry as well, in no particular order:

A Merry Little Christmas

Lizzie Kate

Flat fold

Merry Cats'mas

Freebie - unknown

Peace Button

Jeannette Douglas Designs

Just Cross Stitch Preview Issue

Ribbon Reindeer

Freebie - Daffycat Designs

Wreath Reindeer

Freebie - Daffycat Designs

In November/December I took part in an ornament exchange organized by Angela at Hooked on Stitches. This exchange renewed my faith in exchanges as the last one I took part in did not go well, at all.

Bell Ornament

Jeannette Douglas Designs

Just Cross Stitch Ornament Preview Issue 2008

This is the ornament I sent out to my partner in the UK, and I was shocked that it arrived in under a week!

In return I got this fantastic ornament that I was just so pleased with and I want to learn how to do the ribbon trim!!!

Over the holidays there was one day the living room was off limits while Todd put together a new entertainment unit. Its best to just stay away when he's putting something together. So I de-cluttered my stash room and put together this little display area of smalls I've received, and my scissors in their scissor frogs. Just love it!

Red Threads

Rosewood Manor

Stitched on: mystery fabric

At some point I also had a small stitching finish... I can't remember when. This will be finished into a bead edged ornament at some point when my finishative comes out to play!

Now finally onto this year, 2015!

January 1st saw the annual emptying of the ort jar!

I've also had two small finishes so far in January, I admit both of these had been started in December but they are my first finishes of 2015!